Kiri Te Kanawa Totally Explained

Everything about Kiri Te Kanawa totally explained

Dame Kiri Janette Te Kanawa, ONZ, DBE, AC (born March 6, 1944) is one of the world's most celebrated sopranos. In 1981, she was seen and heard around the world by an estimated 600 million people when she sang Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim" at the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

Personal history

Te Kanawa was born in Gisborne, on New Zealand's North Island. She has both Māori and European ancestry, but little is known about her birth parents as she was adopted as an infant. She is the adopted daughter of an Irish mother and Māori father. In her teens and early 20s, Te Kanawa was a pop star and popular entertainer at clubs in New Zealand.
She was educated at Saint Mary's College Auckland and formally trained in operatic singing by the celebrated Dame Sister Mary Leo, RSM, who was New Zealand's best-known opera coach. She began her singing career as a mezzo-soprano, but later developed into a soprano. Her voice is that of a versatile full lyric soprano supported by a secure technique which has allowed Te Kanawa to sing a variety of music. Her recording of the "Nuns' Chorus" from the Strauss operetta Casanova was New Zealand's first gold record.
Kiri married Desmond Park, whom she met on a blind date in Auckland in August 1967 and married six months later. The couple adopted two children, Antonia (1976) and Thomas (1979), named after Kiri's adoptive father. The couple divorced in the late 1990s.

Career

In 1965 she won the prestigious Mobil Song Quest, entered by all types of singers, jazz, pop and classical, with her performance of Puccini's "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca. Previously she was runner up to Dame Malvina Major in 1963 in the same competition.
As the winner, she received a grant to study in London. In 1966, she then won the prestigious Australian Melbourne Sun-Aria contest, which Malvina had also won the previous year. Both students had been taught by Dame Sister Mary Leo.

Early years in London

In 1966, without an audition, she enrolled at the London Opera Centre to study under James Robertson, who is said to have stated that Te Kanawa didn't have any singing technique when she arrived at the school but did have a gift for captivating audiences.
She first appeared on stage as the "Second Lady" in Die Zauberflöte, as well as in performances of Dido and Aeneas in December 1968 at the Sadler's Wells Theatre. In 1969, she sang "Elena" in Gioacchino Rossini's La donna del lago at the Camden Festival. Praise for her "Idamante" in Mozart's Idomeneo led to an offer of a three-year contract as junior principal at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden where she made her debut as 'Xenia' in Boris Godunov and a 'Flower Maiden' in Parsifal in 1970, and was also heard as the "Voice from Heaven", an off-stage role, at the end of Verdi's Don Carlo. Also, during 1969, she was offered the role of the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro after an audition in which the conductor, Colin Davis said "I couldn't believe my ears. I've taken thousands of auditions, but it was such a fantastically beautiful voice." Under director John Copley Te Kanawa was carefully groomed for the role for a December 1971 opening.

International career

Meanwhile, word of her success had reached John Crosby at the Santa Fe Opera, a summer opera festival in the U.S. state of New Mexico then about to begin its fifteenth season. He cast her in the role of the Countess in Figaro, which opened on 30 July 1971. "It was two of the newcomers who left the audience dazzled: Frederica von Stade as Cherubino and Kiri te Kanawa as the Countess. Everyone knew at once that these were brilliant finds. History has confirmed that first impression." Von Stade and Te Kanawa have continued this association even up to the present day. In 2007, they sang together at Kiri's farewell concert in Carnegie Hall.
   But on 1 December 1971 at Covent Garden, Kiri te Kanawa repeated the Santa Fe triumph and created an international sensation in the same role: "with 'Porgi amor' Kiri knocked the place flat." It was followed by performances as the Countess at the San Francisco Opera in autumn 1972, while her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1974 as Desdemona in Otello took place on short notice, replacing an ill Teresa Stratas at the last minute.
   In subsequent years, she performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Paris Opera, Sydney Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, La Scala, San Francisco Opera, Munich and Cologne, adding the Mozart roles of Donna Elvira, Pamina, and Fiordiligi, in addition to Italian roles such as Mimi in La bohème. She played Donna Elvira in Joseph Losey's 1979 film adaptation of Don Giovanni.
   Te Kanawa has a particular affinity for the heroines of Richard Strauss. Her first appearance in the title role in Arabella was at the Houston Grand Opera in 1977, followed by the roles of the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier and the Countess in Capriccio. Many performances were given under the baton of Georg Solti and it was with him that she made her first recording of Figaro.
   Te Kanawa retired from the opera stage after her performances in Samuel Barber's Vanessa with the Washington National Opera and the Los Angeles Opera in November/December 2004, but she still performs in concert halls.
   UK talk show host Michael Parkinson asked her to name the person she felt was the greatest singer that ever lived. She replied: "The young Elvis Presley, without any doubt."

Honours

Kiri Te Kanawa was created a Dame Commander of The Order of the British Empire in 1982, invested as an Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia in 1990 and awarded the prestigious Order of New Zealand in the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours List. She has also received honorary degrees from the following universities in the UK: Cambridge, Dundee, Durham, Nottingham, Oxford, Sunderland, Warwick as well as these universities worldwide: Chicago, Auckland and Waikato as well as being honorary fellow of Somerville College, Oxford and Wolfson College, Cambridge. She is also patron of Ringmer Community College, a school in the South-East of England situated not far from Glyndebourne. On 12 June 2008 she'll receive the Edison Classical Music Award during the Edison Classical Music Gala (formerly: 'Grand Gala du Disque') in the Ridderzaal in The Hague.

Controversy

Te Kanawa has always been popular among New Zealanders, but in a 2003 interview with the Melbourne-based Herald Sun she was critical of the high rate of welfare dependence among the Māori people, angering some of her compatriots.
Te Kanawa was sued for breach of contract by Leading Edge in 2007 after cancelling a concert with Australian singer John Farnham after learning that his fans sometimes threw their underwear on stage, which he'd then proudly display. She won the suit, in part because no binding contract was made, but over $100,000 court costs were awarded against the Mittane holding company which employs and manages Te Kanawa.

Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation

Kiri founded the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation with the vision "that talented young New Zealand singers and musicians with complete dedication to their art may receive judicious and thoughtful mentoring and support to assist them in realising their dreams."
The Foundation manages a trust fund to provide financial and career scholarships to young New Zealand singers and musicians.

Career highlights

Born 6 March 1944 in Gisborne.
Studied under Sister Mary Leo 1959-1965 at St Mary's College in Auckland.
Had New Zealand's first gold disc, with a popular operatic aria.
Was second to Dame Malvina Major in the Mobil Song Quest in 1963, won it in 1965.
Won the Melbourne Sun Aria in 1965, and was awarded an Arts Council of Great Britain bursary to study at the London Opera Centre.
Made her US debut at Santa Fe Opera with her performance as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro in summer 1971, and became internationally famous at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London after singing the role on 1 December 1971.
Sang at the San Francisco Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York and La Scala in Milan, Italy.
In 1981 sang at the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in St Paul's Cathedral.
She won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording in 1984, for Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro". It was produced by Christopher Raeburn and the London Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Georg Solti. Also featuring were Thomas Allen, Kurt Moll, Lucia Popp, Samuel Ramey and Frederica von Stade.
Created Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in 1982, and has returned to New Zealand to sing several times, including the New Year millennium concert at Gisborne in January 2000.
In 1994 celebrated her 50th birthday, culminating in a spectacular Birthday Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
November 1999, released a new album, Maori Songs.
Sang in her last opera, Vanessa, in 2004, but continues with recitals and concerts and organising the Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation, to help young music students.
On March 15, 2006, Te Kanawa played a role in the 2006 Commonwealth Games. She sang a medley of "Happy Birthday" to Queen Elizabeth II, in recognition of her upcoming birthday, and "God Save the Queen".
October 15, 2007, sang her last recital in America in Symphony Hall to four encores.
December 2, 2007, sang to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Royal Variety Performance. Her performance included leading the National Anthem, God Save the Queen

Discography

Mozart Don Giovanni (1972) sang the role of Donna Elvira in a studio recording with Covent Garden forces under Colin Davis

Bizet Carmen (1975) sang the role of Micaëlla in a studio recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Georg Solti

Mozart Così fan tutte (1977) sang the role of Fiordiligi in a studio recording under Alain Lombard

Mozart Die Zauberflöte (1978) sang the role of Pamina in a studio recording under Alain Lombard

Gay The Beggar's Opera (1981) sang the role of Polly Peachum in a studio recording under Richard Bonynge with the National Philharmonic Orchestra

Mozart Le nozze di Figaro (1981) sang the role of the Countess in a studio recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Georg Solti

Puccini La rondine (1981) sang the role of Magda de Civry in a studio recording with the London Symphony Orchestra under Lorin Maazel

Verdi and Puccini Arias (1982) – two Puccini arias, "O mio babbino caro" (Gianni Schicchi) and "Chi bel sogno di Doretta" (La Rondine) were used in the Merchant Ivory film A Room with a View

Puccini Tosca (1984) sang the title role in a studio recording under Solti

Christmas with Kiri (1984)

Handel Messiah (1984) - complete recording with Georg Solti conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Ave Maria (1984) - A collection of religious favorites with the English Chamber Orchestra and the Choir of St. Paul's Cathedral, London.

Leonard Bernstein West Side Story (1985) - A recording of Bernstein's 'operatic' music for the Broadway production West Side Story, with José Carreras singing the part of Tony and Leonard Bernstein himself conducting the orchestra and chorus.

Richard Strauss Arabella (1986) sang the title role in a studio recording with Covent Garden forces under Jeffrey Tate

Gounod Faust (1986) sang the role of Marguerite in a studio recording with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under Colin Davis

South Pacific (1986) a studio cast recording with Kiri Te Kanawa, Mandy Patinkin, José Carreras and Sarah Vaughan

Puccini Manon Lescaut (1987) sang the title role in a studio recording with the forces of Teatro Comunale di Bologna under Riccardo Chailly

Kiri Sings Gershwin (1987) - A collection of George Gershwin songs with the New Princess Theater Orchestra conducted by John McGlinn

Mozart Così fan tutte (1988) recorded the role of Fiordiligi again this time with Vienna State Opera forces under James Levine

Verdi Simon Boccanegra (1989) recorded the role of Amelia Grimaldi in a studio recording with the forces of La Scala, Milan under Solti

Mozart Die Zauberflöte (1989) recorded the role of Pamina again this time with Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields

Wagner Tannhäuser sang the role of Elisabeth in a studio recording with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Marek Janowski

Johann Strauss II Die Fledermaus (1990) sang the part of Rosalinde with Vienna State Opera forces under André Previn

Portrait of Kiri Te Kanawa (1990)

Mozart Le nozze di Figaro (1990) re-recorded the role of the Countess in a studio recording with the Metropolitan Opera forces under James Levine

Richard Strauss Der Rosenkavalier (1990) sang the role of the Marschallin with the forces of the Semperoper Dresden under Bernard Haitink

Mozart Der Schauspieldirector (1990) sang the role of Mademoiselle Silberklang with the Vienna Philharmonic under John Pritchard

Richard Strauss 4 Letze lieder and other songs with Georg Solti and the Vienna Philharmonic (1991)

Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin (1992) sang the role of Tatyana in a studio recording with Welsh National Opera under Charles Mackerras

Verdi La traviata (1992) sang the role of Violetta in a studio recording with the forces of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under Zubin Mehta

Kiri Sidetracks (1992)

Mozart: Great Mass in C Minor (chorus master: Laszlo Heltay), 1994 Philips

Puccini La bohème (1994) recorded the title role in a studio recording with the London Symphony Orchestra under Kent Nagano

Richard Strauss Capriccio Recorded the role of the Countess in a studio recording with Ulf Schirmer conductiong the Vienna Philharmonic

French Songs and Arias (1997)

Maori Songs (1999)

Kiri - The Best Of (2001)

The Very Best Of (2003)

Kiri Sings Karl (2006) – arranged and conducted by Karl JenkinsFurther Information

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